Means for controlling the rate of flow of oil to a spinning or twisting ring



A. J. WAYSON MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE OF FLOW OF July 10, 1962 Filed April 21, 1960 OIL TO A SPINNING OR TWISTING RING a4 are so 1729704.

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a 4 P. a .A m M M i x :HRIPW United States Patent'O ltiEANS FOR CGN'I'ROLLWG TEE RATE OF FLGW GE OR. TO A SPENNHJG R TWESTING RING Andrew J. Wayson, Needham, Mass, assignor to Merriman Bros, Inc., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Apr. 21, 196-9, Ser. No. 23,760 6 Claims. (61. 57-120) This invention relates to spinning and twisting rings used in the textile industry. When reference hereinafter is made to a spinning ring, it will be understood to encompass as well a twisting ring.

The problem of lubricating spinning rings is old and well known. The object of the lubrication is to minimize the wear of the traveler. If the lubrication is deficient, excessive wear occurs, with resulting high replacements. If the lubrication is excessive, then oil will drip from the spinning ring, with the possibility of damaging the yarn and causing excessive accumulation of lint and dirt on the machine elements.

The principal objective of this invention is to provide means for controlling or metering the rate of flow of oil to the spinning ring whereby the amount of oil delivered to the ring will insure correct lubrication of the traveler.

In providing controls for metering the rate of flow of oil to the ring, it will be understood that the oil reservoir which is associated with each ring holder must be of such capacity that the oil therein will last for an appreciable time. Thus during the spinning operation the level of the free oil in the reservoir will gradually drop, and this drop of level, according to previous practices in which a wick directly carried oil from the reservoir to the ring, caused a decrease in the rate of oil delivery. By the construction disclosed and claimed herein, however, the falling oil level has no effect on the rate of flow to the ring. In fact, after the free oil in the reservoir has been entirely consumed, the oil will continue to be supplied to the ring for a limited period at the controlled rate, thus minimizing the possibility of a ring running dry through failure of the attendant to supply fresh oil to the reservoir on schedule.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a ring holder and ring and the associated oil reservoir which contains the inventive features.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of FIG. 1 with the cover of the oil reservoir and the ring holder and ring broken away in part.

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a modified type of wick for conveying the oil from the reservoir to the metering material.

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

In the preferred form of the invention, the oil reservoir indicated generally at 2 will be an integral part of the ring holder 4 which holds a conventional vertical type spinning ring 6 with the traveler shown at 8.

The oil reservoir portion of the unit is closed at the top with a transparent cover 10 secured by a plurality of pins 12. At the right side is an opening 14 in the cover which is closed by a depressible button valve 16 supported and urged upwardly to closed position by a helical spring 13. The reservoir is filled with oil to the desired degree by depressing button 16 and introducing the oil through the then available opening. Oil could, of course, be supplied to the reservoir by other arrangements as, for example, by fixed piping from a common source.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the contemplated maximum oil level is shown at 26 and a platform 22 is mounted at a position where it will be above the oil level. In a preferred form, the platform is supported by a plurality of bosses 24 which may be cast integral with the reservoir. The dimensions of the platform contemplate a space 26 between the platform and the wall of the reservoir. On the platform 22 rests a block of oil absorbent material of which a preferred form is a suitably shaped piece of felt 28. The space 26 serves the purpose of providing a passageway from above the platform down and into the lower portion of the reservoir whereby surplus oil accumulated by the felt 28 may flow back into the reservoir. In another form of the invention as shown in FIG. 2, the platform 22 may have a plurality of perforations 30 therethrough which provide additional means for draining surplus oil back into the reservoir.

It will be noted that the dimensions of felt 28 when considered in plan are considerably smaller than the overall area of the oil reservoir. The controlling fac tors are a reservoir large enough to contain suificient oil to provide a long period of operation of the spinning ring before refilling is necessary and a felt long enough to do the metering in the intended manner.

The metering is accomplished by having the intake wick 32 spaced a sufiicient distance from the ring wick 34 to provide an intermediate felt portion 36 of sufiicien-t length and volume to give proper control.

The end of wick 32 may be positioned between felt 28 and platform 22, or if the felt is made in two layers the wick end may be positioned between the two layers. The important point is that the wick 32 must he in direct solid contact with the felt so that oil will move by capillary attraction from the reservoir into the felt in a quantity which will vary with the absorptive characteristics of the type of felt used.

When the spinning ring is not in use, the oil will build up in the felt to produce a saturated condition, and to prevent over-saturation the space 26 between the platform and the walls of the reservoir makes it possible for any surplus oil to run back freely from the felt to the reservoir. Additional drainage may be obtained, if desired, by perforating the platform as at 30 in FIG. 2.

The platform on which the felt rests may take any convenient form. It may be a thin sheet of metal as shown, with or without perforations, or it may be in the form of a piece of screening s'ufliciently heavy to carry the weight of the felt without bending. Additionally, the means for supporting the platform may likewise be varied if desired. For example, the platform could have short legs on its under side which would stand on the bottom of the reservoir.

The wick 34 that carries the oil from the felt to the ring has its ends positioned between the felt and the platform, or again if the feltis composed of two layers the wick ends may be placed between the two layers.

It is believed apparent from the above explanation that oil can be taken by wick 34 to the ring only as fast as the oil can advance through the intermediate portion 36 of the felt. Furthermore, regardless of the oil level in the reservoir, wick 32 will be capable of maintaining a constant degree of saturation in felt 22 so that the rate of flow of oil through wick 34 to the ring will likewise be substantially constant regardless of the oil level. Thus, by varying the saturation characteristics of the felt, the rate of flow of oil to the ring through wick 34 can be accurately controlled.

The use of a felt has the further advantage that should the oiler fail to refill the reservoir on schedule the ring will not run dry for an appreciable period after all of the oil in the reservoir has been used because the felt 22 will contain or hold therein suflicient oil to provide several more hours of running time before there is any appreciable change in the rate of delivery of oil to the ring through the wick 34. The left end portion of the felt 22, as indicated at 36, while not serving as a metering portion, does act as an additional source of supply after the reservoir itself might run dry.

In P16. 4 is showna modification of the invention in which the wick leading from the oil reservoir to the felt is not a separate wick but is an integral extension of the 'felt 22 and is numbered 38. The point to be observed here is that the specific type of-wick that carries the oil from the reservoir to the'felt is not important so long ash is of sufi'icient capacity to enable the felt to absorb all of the oil that it can absorb. Then the characteristics of the felt control thetransmission of the oil therethrough whence it passes by wick 34 to the ring.

7 It will also be noted in FIGS. 3, 4 and that the top of thefelt 40 does not engage the under side of the cover 10. This helps to minimize any possible leakage between the cover and the top of the reservoir.

It is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Means for controlling the rate of flow ofoil to a spinning ring, said means comprising an oil reservoir, a platform in said reservoir located above the maximum intended oil level therein, a felt positioned onthe said platform spaced from said ring, means in the oil reservoir extending upward to the felt for causing oil in said reser-'- voir to flow to the felt, means for drainingexcess oil from said felt back to said reservoir, and a wick remote from said first named means extending from the felt out of said reservoir to the ring to transmit oil to the ring.

2. Means for controlling the rate of flow of oil to a spinning ring, said means comprising an oil reservoir, a platform located above the maximum intended oil level in said reservoir, a felt positioned on the said platform,

a first wick in the oil reservoir extending upward to the) voir whereby any oil not retainable by said felt can flow back to the said reservoir, and a second wick remote from said first wick extending from the said felt to the ring to transmit oil to the ring.

3. Means for controlling the rate of flow of oil to a spinning ring mounted in a ring holder, said means comprising an oil reservoir which is an integral part of said ring holder, a platform located above the maximum intended oil level in said reservoir, a felt positioned on the said platform, a first wick in the oil reservoir extending upward to the felt for causing oil in said reservoir to flow to the felt, one or more passageways extending from the upper side of said platform to the oil reservoir whereby surplus oil not retainable by said felt can flow back to the said reservoir, a second Wick remote from said first wick extending from the felt to the ring in'said holder to transmit oil to said ring, and a cover for said reservoir and felt, the under side of said cover being out of engagement with the said felt.

4. Means for controlling the rate of flow of oil to a spinning ring, said means comprising an oil reservoir, 3 platform located above the maximum intended oil level in said reservoir, a felt positioned on the said platform, said felt being substantiallysmaller in plan area than the plan area of said reservoir, a first wick in the oil reservoir extending upwardly to the felt at one end thereof for causing oil in said reservoir to flow to the felt, and a second wick'extending from the felt to the ring to transmit oil to said ring, said first and second Wick means a being substantially spaced from each other whereby the 20 intervening felt may act as a meter to control the rate of flow of oil to said second wick.

. 5. Means for controlling the rateof flow of oil to a spinning ring, said means comp-rising an oil reservoir associated with a ring holder, a platform in said reservoir intermediate the top and bottom thereof whereby a quantity of oil may be placed -in said reservoir with its upper level below said platform, a felt positioned on said platform, a first wick extending from the oil in said reservoir to said felt whereby oil will travel by capillary attraction through said Wick to said felt to saturate said felt with oil, means including at least one passageway between said felt and said oil reservoir whereby surplus oil escaping from said felt may readliy drain back into the oil reservoir below said platform, and a'second wick remote from said first wick lying against said felt and extending therefrom through the wall of said reservoir above the oil level to a position against a spinning ring carried by said holder. e

6. Means for metering the flow of oil from an oil reservoir to a spinning ring, said means comprising a piece of felt positioned in said reservoir above the oil level therein and spaced from said ring, a first wick lead-- ing from the free oil to one end'of said felt, means for draining excess oil from said felt back to said reservoir, and a second wick leading from said felt out of said reservoir to said ring, said second wick being spaced a substantial distance from said first wick whereby the felt between said wicks will act to control the rate at which oil may flow through said second wick to said ring.

. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

